Chapter 7

"Hey, have you heard? Today, Cai Yong will be holding a poetry gathering at his residence. It’s said that many famous scholars will be attending."

"Yes, yes, the whole of Luoyang knows about it. If only I could go and learn from them, that would be great."

"Forget it, with your level, you also want to attend?"

"What did you say?!" The scholar immediately flew into a rage, grabbing the other scholar by the collar.

"A gentleman uses words, not hands."

......

......

At Cai Yong’s residence, Liu Yao, as a disciple, stood beside Cai Yong to welcome the guests. Cai Yong’s influence was indeed extraordinary, and there were already over a hundred people present.

"Bojie, you look quite well today, your face is radiant." A slightly teasing voice came from behind.

"Ha ha ha, Bogan, Junlang, it’s a great honor to have you both here. My humble abode is truly blessed by your presence." Cai Yong laughed heartily. The newcomers were Liu Yu and Liu Yan, two members of the Han imperial family.

"Who is this?" Liu Yu finally noticed Liu Yao standing beside Cai Yong.

"Oh, this is my newly admitted disciple, Liu Yao." Cai Yong said casually.

"Liu Yao!!!" The two exclaimed in surprise. "We pay our respects to the Crown Prince."

"Absolutely not, both of you are members of the Han imperial family. In terms of seniority, I should call you Grand Uncles. You may call me Yao." Liu Yao stepped aside to avoid their bows.

"We dare not, we dare not." The two humbly replied, but they had already accepted it in their hearts.

"Alright, let’s not talk any more. The guests are almost all here, the poetry gathering is about to begin. Let’s take our seats." Cai Yong interjected.

They looked around and saw that most of the guests had arrived, so they found their seats.

Liu Yao watched as everyone took their seats. Then, food and drinks were served, but it didn’t look like a poetry gathering at all, more like a banquet.

As the organizer of the poetry gathering, Cai Yong naturally spoke first, "Ahem, welcome everyone to this poetry gathering. This is my newly admitted disciple, the current Crown Prince, Liu Yao."

"Ah!!!" Everyone gasped in surprise and began to chatter excitedly.

"Hmph!!" Liu Yu’s cold snort interrupted their conversation. They suddenly realized they had been disrespectful in front of the Crown Prince and quickly corrected themselves, "We pay our respects to the Crown Prince."

Seeing so many people bowing to him, Liu Yao felt a sense of elation. No wonder so many people wanted to be emperor; they craved the feeling of being above all others. But he didn’t say that out loud, "Everyone, please rise. Today, there is no Crown Prince, just a humble student."

Seeing that the Crown Prince had no airs, the guests began to feel more favorably towards him.

Cai Yong then continued, introducing everyone present. Liu Yao was stunned by the list of names.

"Wow, these are all famous people. Cai Yong, Liu Yan, Liu Yu, Liu Biao, Liu Dai, Wang Yun, Zhang Miao, Tao Qian, Lu Zhi, Zhang Wen, Tian Feng, Kong Rong, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Yao, Xun Yu, and even Cao Cao, who was exiled to a distant post, is here." These people would later become powerful warlords or renowned scholars.

However, the ones who caught Liu Yao’s attention the most were Tian Feng, Xun Yu, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao. Tian Feng was currently a censor, and Xun Yu was a palace attendant, both serving in Luoyang. They would later be dismissed during Dong Zhuo’s reign.

"Tian Feng and Xun Yu, these are two major figures, famous strategists in the Three Kingdoms. I must find a way to bring Tian Feng to my side, but Xun Yu, sigh..." Liu Yao sighed helplessly.

Liu Yao wanted to revive the Han dynasty, which meant he would inevitably clash with the powerful clans. The Xun family, to which Xun Yu belonged, was one of the most prominent. Even if he could win Xun Yu’s loyalty, the family’s interests would always come first. If he really brought Xun Yu to his side, he couldn’t be sure Xun Yu wouldn’t betray him, and the mistrust would be a significant issue. Liu Yao had no choice but to give up.

As for Yuan Shao, he was tall, handsome, with a long beard and a graceful demeanor, and came from a family of four generations of high officials. No wonder so many people flocked to him, but he was also arrogant and lacked strategy.

Yuan Shu, on the other hand, had a petty and disdainful look, as if he considered himself the third most important person after heaven and earth. He was a stubborn and spoiled son, and if not for his noble birth, he wouldn’t have the qualifications to compete for power at the end of the Han dynasty.

And Cao Cao, the greatest rival in the Three Kingdoms, was short and stocky, with a dark face and narrow eyes, and a beard. Frankly, he didn’t look impressive at all compared to Yuan Shao. But anyone who underestimated him would be in for a rude awakening.

At Cai Yong’s command, the scholars and literati began to recite poems and verses, occasionally breaking into applause.

"Everyone, I recently received a batch of fine wine from a friend and would like to share it with all of you." Cai Yong said when the time was right.

"Bojie, I didn’t know you were hiding such good wine. If I had known, I would have come to beg for it long ago." Liu Yu said half-jokingly.

"Ha ha ha, Cai Yong, you have good wine and didn’t even tell me. Are you looking down on me, Cao Mengde?" Cao Cao pretended to be angry.

"Mengde, if I had called you, would I have any wine left?" Cai Yong, of course, knew Cao Cao wasn’t really angry. He had a mentor-student relationship with Cao Cao, and they were good friends.

Two servants then brought in four jars of wine.

"Bojie, this is not right. How can you only bring so little wine? It’s not enough at all!!" Kong Rong, the great scholar, said with a stern face.

"Kong Beihai, it’s not that I’m stingy, but there really isn’t much wine. I don’t have much myself." Cai Yong looked helpless. He then added, "Everyone, it’s an honor to have you all here for the poetry gathering. I have nothing to offer but some wine. However, there isn’t much, so each of you will only get one cup. I apologize."

The crowd immediately erupted in complaints, but when Cai Yong had the jars opened, all the noise stopped. The rich aroma of the wine filled the air, and everyone couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

Cai Yong had the servants fill everyone’s cups, and the four jars were almost empty. The guests, looking at the clear, fragrant wine, were eager to drink but waited for the host to speak.

"Everyone, before we enjoy this fine wine, let me recite a poem to enhance the mood, shall we?" Cai Yong asked.

"Ha ha, it’s an honor to hear Cai Yong’s masterpiece."

"Indeed, indeed."

Cai Yong walked around for a bit, then recited:

"Let Us Drink

Do you not see the waters of the Yellow River come from the sky,

Rushing to the sea, never to return?

Do you not see the sorrow of white hair in the bright mirror of the high hall,

Morning like black silk, evening like snow?

Life is short, so we must enjoy it to the fullest,

Do not let the golden goblet face the moon in vain.

Heaven has endowed me with talent, which must be useful,

Even if I spend a thousand gold, it will return.

Cook the sheep and slaughter the ox, let us enjoy,

We must drink three hundred cups.

Confucius, Prince Zi, let us drink, do not stop.

Let me sing a song for you, please listen.

The sounds of bells and drums, the delicacies are not valuable,

I only wish to be drunk and never wake.

Ancient sages were all lonely,

Only drinkers left their names.

(Chen Wang’s line is too difficult to change, so I’ll skip it)

Why do you say there is not enough money?

Just buy the wine and drink with me.

Five-flowered horse, thousand-gold fur,

Call the boy to bring it out to exchange for fine wine,

To drink away the sorrows of ten thousand years."

"Good!!! Good line, to drink away the sorrows of ten thousand years. This is the time to drink heartily." Kong Rong shouted loudly, and the praise continued.

However, Cai Yong’s face was flushed. Everyone thought it was due to his enthusiasm, but in fact, he was glaring at Liu Yao, who was covering his mouth and laughing. The poem was a slightly altered version of Li Bai’s "Let Us Drink" that Liu Yao had copied and given to Cai Yong, claiming he didn’t want to reveal himself.

Cai Yong forced down his embarrassment. "Everyone, please raise your cups and drink."

"Cheers!" *N

Everyone tasted the wine simultaneously.

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